KIRK BELIK
The traditional Anatolian hairstyle known as “kirk belik”, or “forty braids,” becomes entwined with the movement of branches and leaves. Female figures and plants merge until it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. In this world, they coexist and protect one another.
The traditional Anatolian hairstyle known as “kirk belik”, or “forty braids,” becomes entwined with the movement of branches and leaves. Female figures and plants merge until it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. In this world, they coexist and protect one another.
Drawing on the visual language of my work in traditional ceramic painting and miniature painting, I create surfaces where female figures emerge among saz leaves and hatayi flowers. Each has her own expression and carries her own burdens. The life-giving power of women and nature is intertwined with the wounds and losses they have endured. The bowl or vase, a form that holds and protects yet is itself fragile, completes this relationship.
Through these interwoven braids, branches and faces, I seek to create a narrative that makes room for both life's abundance and its losses.
Through these interwoven braids, branches and faces, I seek to create a narrative that makes room for both life's abundance and its losses.
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase , Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / neckless ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 28 cm
Kirk Belik / neckless ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 28 cm
Kirk Belik / neckless ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 28 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic plate (detail), Ø 23 cm, h. 2 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic plate, Ø 23 cm, h. 2 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic plate (detail), Ø 45 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic plate, Ø 45 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic plate (detail), Ø 45 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 9 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl, Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / conical ceramic bowl (detail), Ø 40 cm, h. 12 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 24 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase, Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
Kirk Belik / ceramic vase (detail), Ø 30 cm, h. 30 cm
